Martin Kubler

David Heckaman

Vice President of Technology
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

David Heckaman has been engaged in the technology and hospitality industries for the past 20 years. He is able to leverage his extensive operational experience to remain focused on the hotel guest and the staff that have to service them.

Mr. Heckaman earned his undergraduate degree in Hotel Management and Development from the University of Central Florida.

His early operational career had taken through the hotel operational management path. He had worked for Guest Quarters, DoubleTree and independent properties in these roles.

Mr. Heckaman’s technology path started with Storemont Trice Hotels where he was a regional technology manager and participated in hotel development and project management of large technology deployments. He later joined Crestline Capital in Bethesda, MD to assist in the creation of Crestline Hotels & Resorts and the interconnection of newly acquired properties and deployment of back-office systems.

In 2001, Mr. Heckaman joined Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to lead the technology development aspect of their North American flagship property in New York City. The development of this property placed Mandarin Oriental as a clear international leader in the area of lodging technology. There were numerous technologies that were presented to the world for the first-time when the Mandarin Oriental, New York opened in November of 2003. The list of these technologies that were successfully deployed include some of the following highlights:

In his current role Mr. Heckaman has also developed Mandarin Oriental’s Technology Innovation Lab. This lab has been designed to be an industry leading test-bed and showcase of emerging technologies. This tool is also utilized to define and refine corporate design standards.

Mr. Heckaman has been a charter member of Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG) trade organization. Within this organization Mr. Heckaman currently co-chairs the HTNG Infrastructure and Device Forum. Hotel Technology Next Generation is a global trade association that fosters, through collaboration and partnership among hoteliers and technology providers, the development of next-generation solutions that will enable them to do business globally in the 21st century

In 2013, Mr. Heckaman received the Professional Achievement Award from University of Central Florida.